"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of Netflix and off various columns highlighting new movies as well.

Blurb from Netflix:
Driven from her post at Thornfield House, young governess Jane Eyre reflects on
her youth and the events that led her to misty moors.

Selina’s Point of View:

I’m going to be honest here, I don’t feel qualified to
review this film.

Technically, the film was great. Breathtaking scenes,
wonderful costume designs, and the casting/acting was phenomenal. None of that
was a problem at all.

My issue is that it’s exactly the kind of movie I would never
choose to watch on my own. Granted, I’ve seen a lot of great movies while
writing this blog that I never would have chosen to watch before I rolled them.
I never would have seen Archie’s Final
Project (2009) or Judas Kiss
(2011) and they are both movies I absolutely adored.

It’s that slow pure drama with light romance that generally
bores me to tears and Jane Eyre was
exactly that.

So, I’m giving the movie a mediocre score, but don’t judge
the film by that. I’m sure it would be scored much higher by someone that
actually enjoys the genre.

Cat’s Point of View:

I love a good period piece now and again. It’s fun to get
swept away into the story and back in time, as well.

It has been a very long time since I read the novel by
Charlotte Brontë which inspired this movie. I would be hard pressed to recall
the minutia of detail to note whether or not this film stayed completely
accurate to the book; or even how it stood up to the earlier films adapted from
the novel.

What I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I
was captivated and drawn in to Jane’s plight. The more I see of Mia Wasikowska
(Rogue, Stoker, Crimson Peak), the
more I enjoy her as an actress. She excellently portrays a wide-eyed innocent
aspect, yet retaining spirit and backbone.

Quite a few seem to equivocate innocence to simpering
naiveté. She did justice to her role in embodying this figure from classical
literature without evoking such sentiment.

How do I love Michael Fassbender (Hunger, Blood Creek, Shame), let me count the ways… ok so I’ll
admit I’m a bit biased when it comes to him. I do submit, however, that it is
entirely warranted and deserving on account of his talent.

He embodied the role of the Byronic Rochester with finesse.
From moments of whimsy to insightful and moody banter to enigmatic urgency;
Fassbender exceeded my already high expectations. Whether taking on works of Shakespeare, xenomorphs,
or the Marvelverse; any film he’s involved with is likely worth giving a
chance.

There were other recognizable, and notable, performances
here such as Dame Judi Dench (Rage, J.
Edgar, Philomena) as Mrs. Fairfax; and Jamie Bell (Flags of Our Fathers, The Eagle, Snowpiercer) as St. John Rivers.

Cinematically, I could have done without a little bit of
shaky-cam in the beginning; but that’s really just splitting hairs.

Finally, if the house used as the setting for the Reeds’
home, Gateshead, looks familiar; you might have seen it on the screen before.
It was used as a filming location in at least one other production - Gosford Park (2001).

Not only would I recommend this movie, and gladly watch it
again; I think it’s long overdue that I revisit the book.

Blurb from Netflix:
When a would-be suitor enlists his friend’s help in pretending to be Jewish so
that a Jewish girl will date him, cultures collide and chaos ensues.

Selina’s Point of View:

Jewtopia was….
interesting.

I don’t identify as Jewish, but that’s how I was raised. I
went to a Jewish summer camp every year where I learned a little about the
religion and some Hebrew. I attend Passover and Shabbat dinners with a close
friend of mine that’s no longer in my life. I didn’t attend religious services,
though. I’m Jewish enough to be able to make that throat sound when I speak
Hebrew, but not Jewish enough to know what that throat sound is called.

Maybe it’s because of how I was raised, but I definitely
felt that this film went very close to that religiously inappropriate line. I,
personally, don’t get offended very easily. I laughed at a lot of the jokes I
probably shouldn’t have laughed at. I just want to make sure that the people
who might be more sensitive about the subject of religion know that this movie
isn’t for them.

I found a lot of the film hilarious. Especially those deep
stereotypes that I recognize from my family or other people I know. The plot
was a little on the muddled and disappointing side and the ending was
absolutely terrible, but it wasn’t all bad.

I wasn’t a fan of most of the acting, though. Jon Lovitz (The Ridiculous 6, Mr. Box Office, A League
of Their Own) being one of the exceptions. Lovitz makes an exceptional
Jewish dad and that voice is so soothing…. Ok… not really about the voice. The
rest of that was true though.

In the end, I don’t think the film was all that amazing, but
the ride was amusing at the very least.

I’d like to remind readers: If you are easily offended, this
is not the film for you. Just move along. Nothing to see here.

Cat’s Point of View:

I’m not so sure that I liked this movie.

It wasn’t horrible, per se, and I did laugh a lot – I just
couldn’t quite “get into it.” Of course, I think a big part of my disconnect was the total
predictability of how things would go. I also really disliked the ending.

I was raised Catholic, though I have had Jewish friends. I’ve
even attended a bar mitzvah. I can’t say that I understood all of the
references in the movie, but I did catch a lot of them. My laughter in places
was paired with a considerable amount of face-palming.

This is definitely not a movie to watch with anyone easily offended; and there is a good amount of explicit material. I'd recommend steering small children or anyone opposed to R-Rated movies away from this one.

I could relate a little with the main character, though.
When I was in high school, I was informed after one really fun date that his
parents wouldn’t let him see me anymore due to our religious background differences.
(He was a Jehovah’s Witness.)

Moving along - the family dynamics were way over the top. I
would hazard a guess that it was just for further comedic factor; though, they
really could have dialed it back just a little and still hit that mark.

Some of the casting choices were interesting. Normally, Jon
Lovitz (The Producers, A Mouse Tale, The
Ridiculous 6) drives me bananas. Something about him just tends to rub my
nerves wrong. I’m not sure if it’s the nasal quality of his voice or the
types of roles he usually plays. He’s just not a favorite. However, he managed
to not annoy me with his screen time in this movie.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Lin Shaye (Killer By Nature, Chillerama, Ouija) in
this one. She’s a very busy lady. I counted twelve pending projects listed in
IMDb.

Even though I don’t believe I’d watch this movie again, it
was at least entertaining.